Staff Spotlight: Lys Lin

Tell us a bit about what this trip was for and how it came to be.

Usually, this is the first longer break in the school semester. We wanted to show the students how to have fun and relax properly during this downtime while showing them more of North Carolina that they may not have the opportunity to visit otherwise, which is why we choose Asheville, NC for the fall trip. The students should be encouraged to push their boundaries of fun. Our state is naturally beautiful, and we wished to give our students the chance to see it themselves. 

How did the University of North Carolina - Greensboro, Wake Forest University, and North Carolina State University students interact with each other?

The UNCG and the WFU students were mostly older than the NCSU students. However, it didn’t stop them from bonding with each other over their hometowns and their favorite foods. Our students were interested in their different majors and outlooks on life in America. I personally think the UNCG and WFU students were a good influence on the younger NCSU students because they modeled their activities after the UNCG and WFU students. An example of this was when the UNCG and WFU students wanted to wake earlier (around 7 AM) for hiking. Our students listened to their plans and decided to follow after them. 

What was your favorite activity and why?

I loved the zipline activity the most! I haven’t done it for a while because I’m not all that interested in the places offering this activity around Raleigh. Asheville is a great place to do it because it’s much more open and you can combine it with hiking. Bonus: our students also seemed to love it!

What activity did you think you would dislike but ended up liking?

I loved all the activities we did, but I was not fond of the car ride up the mountains. It was super bumpy and crowded. When I got there, though, everything was great. I think the view from the top of the mountain was worth the pain to get there. There was fantastic scenery and landscapes everywhere!

What did you learn about yourself and about the students?

I now am more aware of how my expectations don’t always match up to reality. I expected the students to love exploring downtown Asheville a lot more than the more tiring physical activities because most of them liked to window-shop and buy gifts. However, that was not the case. They preferred to do activities over exploring. I think this might have to do with our different multicultural and multigenerational views.

If you could’ve changed something, what would you change?

I wouldn’t change any of our planned activities because everyone loved them. However, I do think I might need to set a quiet time next time. Staying up too late did not help some of them wake up earlier in the morning. Better to have them grumble a little about bedtimes than to wake up groggy and unable to muster any enthusiasm for our activities. Well-rested students are happier and more willing to try out new things.

Overall, how was your experience? Would you recommend this activity for next year?

Yes, I love this event! As a staff member, I would recommend this to not only the students but the staff as well.